BEFORE THOSE VACCINES ARE
AVAILABLE FOR THAT AGE GROUP.
GUYS, BACK TO YOU.
>> TOM, THANK YOU.
>>> JOINING US NOW AS PROMISED,
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI.
DOCTOR, GOOD MORNING TO YOU.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> I DO WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS
DELTA VARIANT.
WE KNOW THAT IT IS MORE
CONTAGIOUS, POTENTIALLY MORE
SEVERE.
IT HAS DOUBLED IN JUST THE LAST
WEEK AND ACCORDING TO RESEARCH
QUOTED IN THE "WALL STREET
JOURNAL," IT IS SPREADING SO
RAPIDLY, IT COULD BECOME THE
DOMINANT STRAIN IN TWO TO THREE
WEEKS.
WE KNEW IT WAS FAST.
DID YOU KNOW IT WAS THIS FAST?
>> WE KNEW IT FROM OUR
EXPERIENCE THAT OUR COLLEAGUES
IN THE UK HAVE GONE.
BECAUSE IT JUST EXPLODED IN THE
UK.
IT WENT FROM A MINOR VARIANT TO
NOW MORE THAN 90% OF THE
ISOLATES IN THE UK.
SO GIVEN THE DOUBLING TIME OF
APPROXIMATELY TWO WEEKS, RIGHT
NOW ITS AT 20%, SAVANNAH, OF
OUR ISOLATES.
SO YOU WOULD EXPECT JUST THE
DOUBLING TIME IN RECEIVABLE
WEEKS TO A MONTH OR SO, ITS
GOING TO BE QUITE DOMINANT.
THATS THE SOBERING NEWS.
THE NEWS THAT IS SO IMPORTANT,
SAVANNAH, IS THAT THE VACCINES
THAT WE HAVE NOW THAT WERE
DISTRIBUTING THAT WEVE DONE SO
WELL IN DISTRIBUTING, YOU HEARD
THE NUMBERS FROM YOUR OWN
REPORTER, THAT, YOU KNOW, OVER
65% OF THE ADULT POPULATION HAS
RECEIVED AT LEAST ONE DOSE,
PARTICULARLY THE ELDERLY
INDIVIDUALS WHERE 85% OF THEM
HAVE RECEIVED IT.
SO WERE DOING VERY WELL WITH
THE VACCINE THAT IS -- THAT DOES
QUITE WELL AGAINST THIS
PROBLEMATIC VARIANT.
ITS THE UNVACCINATED PEOPLE
THAT WERE CONCERNED ABOUT.
YOU GAVE THE NUMBERS.
THERE ARE SOME STATES THAT ARE
LESS THAN 50%.
YOUVE GOT TO GET YOUNGER
PEOPLE --
>> HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THAT?
>> -- PARTICULARLY 18 TO 26.
WELL, YOU KNOW, ITS VERY
DIFFICULT.
WERE BEYOND, SAVANNAH, THE
LARGER MASS VACCINATION PROGRAM.
RIGHT NOW, ITS GOING TO BE IN
THE TRENCHES, GETTING PEOPLE,
LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, I WAS ON A
CONFERENCE OF MAYORS YESTERDAY
TALKING ABOUT GOING DOOR TO
DOOR, LIKE I DID WITH MAYOR
BOWSER JUST THIS WEEKEND IN THE
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, GETTING
PEOPLE OUT, ANSWERING THEIR
QUESTIONS.
MANY PEOPLE JUST NEED MORE
INFORMATION.
THEY LET IT GO, THEY HAVENT PAID ATTENTION TO IT.
PAID ATTENTION TO IT. THEY HAVE
THEY HAVE TO START PAYING
ATTENTION TO IT NOW BECAUSE IF
THEY ARE UNVACCINATED --
>> YOUR 12 WHO HAVE NO CHOICE.
THEYRE UNVAX NATIONALED.
AND NOW THIS MORE VIE RUE LENT
STRAIN IS MOVING THROUGH
COMMUNITIES.
AS A PARENT, WHAT DO YOU ADVICE?
>> CERTAINLY, IF A CHILD IS
UNVACCINATED, WHICH IT MIGHT BE
MERELY ON THE BASIS OF THEIR
AGE, YOUVE GOT TO BE CAREFUL
AND ABIDE BY THE PUBLIC HEALTH
RECOMMENDATIONS.
WHICH MEANS WHEN CHILDREN ARE
INTERACTING WITH OTHERS OUTSIDE
OF A FAMILY SETTING, WEAR A
MASK.
BUT IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, THE
BEST WAY TO PROTECT THE CHILDREN
IS TO BRING THE LEVEL OF VIRUS
CIRCULATION IN THE COMMUNITY DOWN.
THE BEST WAY TO DO THAT IS THAT
THOSE ADULTS ELIGIBLE FOR
VACCINATE NATION TO GET
VACCINATED.
SO YOURE NOT ONLY PROTECTING
YOURSELF, BUT BY BRINGING THE
LEVEL OF VIRUS DOWN IN THE
COMMUNITY, YOURE INDIRECTLY
PROTECTING THE CHILDREN WHO
CANT YET GET VACCINATED.
THATS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT
WAYS TO DO THAT.
>> WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE
GOAL OF AT LEAST 70% OF
AMERICANS WITH AT LEAST ONE SHOT
BY JULY 4th.
HAVE YOU ASKED YOURSELF, THOSE
WHO CAME UP WITH THAT GOAL AND
THOUGHT IT WAS DOABLE, WHAT WENT
WRONG?
WHY WASNT IT REACHED?
>> I DONT THINK SOMETHING
ACTUALLY WENT WRONG.
THAT WAS ALWAYS AN ASPIRATIONAL
GOAL.
IT WAS NEVER THE GOAL LINE OR
THE END GAME.
WE WANTED TO AND WILL GO WELL
BEYOND THAT AS WE GET PAST THE
FOURTH OF JULY INTO THE SUMMER.
SO I THINK WE BETTER BE CAREFUL.
WE SHOULDNT SAY, WELL, YOU
DIDNT REACH THIS NUMBER ON THIS
DATE, THEREFORE, ITS FAILED.
NOT AT ALL.
WE WERE GOING TO GO BEYOND THE FOURTH OF JULY, ANYWAY.
FOURTH OF JULY, ANYWAY.
ALL WE NEED TO DO NOW IS PUT A
FULL-COURT PRESS ON, GET TO THE
LOCAL PEOPLE, GET THE PEOPLE WHO
HAVE BEEN RECANS TRANT
VACCINATED.
SO I DONT FEEL THAT BADLY ABOUT
NOT PARTICULARLY REACHING A
SPECIFIC NUMBER.
WE WANTED TO GO WELL BEYOND THAT
NUMBER, ANYWAY.
>> IN THE FEW SECONDS WE HAVE
LEFT, JUST A WORD ABOUT HOW
THESE VARIANTS WORK.
THE MORE THEYRE OUT THERE, IT
SEEMS TO ME THEY GET BETTER,
THEY GET STRONGER, THEY GET MORE
EFFICIENT, THEY GET FASTER, THEY
GET MORE CONTAGIOUS.
SO THE MORE THEYRE CIRCULATING
AROUND AND MORE MUTATIONS
HAPPEN, POTENTIALLY, DO WE HAVE
THE POSSIBILITY OF A VARIANT
DEVELOPING THAT IS IMPERVIOUS TO
OUR VACCINES THAT COULD DEFEAT
OUR VACCINES?
>> YOU SAID IT, YOURE
ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.
ANOTHER IMPORTANT REASON WHY WE
NEED TO GET VACCINATED.
VIRUSES DONT MUTATE IF THEY
DONT REPLICATE.
IF YOU GIVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY
TO REPLICATE BY ALLOWING THEM TO
SPREAD FROM PERSON TO PERSON,
YOURE GIVING THEM A PERFECT
OPPORTUNITY TO MUTATE EVEN MORE
AND PERHAPS EVADE THE VACCINE.
YET AGAIN, ANOTHER POWERFUL
REASON WHY WE SHOULD BE GETTING
VACCINATED.
>> ALL RIGHT.
DR. FAUCI, AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU